You Tear Me Into Pieces
by Longing for Oblivion
Summary: Flack has a tough time when he lies eyes on Peyton before returning to work. Will he be able to get along with her as a friend, or will he risk his friendship with Mac and tell her? Takes place after S2 finale... This is a Pac story...
1. Who's that girl?

**Discs.: Unfortunately I don't own CSI NY...*sigh***

**A/N: Well, I finished this already last week, but wasn't sure whether I should post it or not. However, I came to the conclusion that I wanna continue the story and uploaded it...**

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You tear me into pieces

_Who's that girl?_

Flack sighed as he entered the nightclub. Catching sight of his sister he made his way over to her while wondering for probably the hundredth time why on earth she had to work at a bar...

"Hey stranger...What are ya up to? Did you come to lecture me another time?" Samantha grinned at him.

"Nope...I just came for a drink or two, after all, I'll start working again tomorrow and furthermore I didn't know whether you'd work tonight or not, plus I gave that up ages ago, ya know?"

"Well, then what can I get you?"

"How about you surprise me?" Flack replied and took a seat at one of the tables close to the bar.

As his sis put down a glass in front of him, he gave her a questioning glance and wanted to know :

"What's that?" He looked for a moment at the colorful drink before focusing his attention back on Samantha.

"A special treat I created a while ago...I seriously doubt that ya wanna hear the story behind it, but trust me it's delicious - and don't worry it's not poisoned."

Flack chuckled.

"Well, will you tell me what it is?"

"Nope...How about you drink it and try to guess what I put in it? If you figure it out you'll get your drinks for free tonight..."

"And what if I don't?"

"If not you gonna invite me for dinner in a fancy restaurant at the weekend - and you'll make sure that you won't be called in for work."

"Alright..." Flack grinned.

"Well, take your time...I gotta get back to work."

"Sure..." He watched her walk away and took a sip of his drink.

At least one thing was for sure his sister hadn't lied when she said it was delicious, though it would probably be difficult to guess everything she put into it.

After thinking for a while about the possible ingredients of his drink he let his eyes wander through the room, watching the crowd of dancing people in front of him. Lifting his glass to his lips and taking another few sips of it he almost choked when he swallowed the wrong way as his eyes stopped on a gorgeous woman.

While still coughing he heard someone chuckle behind him.

"Easy there...I don't want to be responsible for your death..."

He didn't even turn around, too mesmerized by the beautiful woman dancing in front of him, instead he just asked :

"Who is that?"

After a moment his sister replied :

"I dunno, she's not a regular, though I think I saw her before...But if ya wanna know who she is, why don't ya just head over and ask her?"

Flack tore his eyes away from the new object of his affection and looked at her.

"You trying to make fun of me?"

"Nope, I mean, normally you don't have a problem with flirting and all that stuff..." Samantha paused, a teasing smile on her lips,

"I just hope that they didn't miss something when you were in hospital?"

"Very funny." He glared at her.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my brother? You just can't be Don Flack - you're not annoying me with some lecture and you don't flirt with a hot girl..."

He sighed and stated :

"Tequila."

"What?"

"That's in the drink you made for me..."

She grinned and replied :

"What else?"

"Orange juice...water melon and strawberry juice?"

She chuckled.

"Not bad...But that's not all..."

"Coconut...but I have no clue what you put in to color it blue..."

"Well, I guess, you owe me dinner then."

"That's not fair! I guessed almost everything right!"

"A bet is a bet, Don..." With that she was gone again.

Flack just shook his head for a moment. However she was right, he should probably simply walk up to that woman and ask her for her name...

Filled with new determination he turned around to scan the dance-floor in search for her.

However, a few minutes later he let out a heavy sigh, it was too late - she was gone...

When he was sure that she had really left he got up and headed to the bar.

"Hey...So, you talked with her?"

"Nope, she's gone...And concerning dinner, think about where you wanna go and when exactly and give me a call when ya made up your mind, 'k?"

"Sure..."

Flack pulled out his wallet and handed her a 20-Dollar bill before he gave her a smile and went to leave.

"You do realize that this is way too much, right?"

He turned back around grinning at her and waved good-bye to her.

_At Flack's place :_

While he was trying to find to sleep his mind kept returning to the woman he had seen in the night-club. He just couldn't stop thinking about her...

Normally he wasn't the type of guy who fell head over heels for a woman, but this time it was different - and that even though he hadn't spoken a single word with her. There was just something about her that had caught his attention...

The way she had been moving, totally lost in the music, completely oblivious to her surroundings...She was simply amazing, and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever get the chance to talk with her.

After a while Flack fell eventually asleep, his dreams filled with the beautiful brunette with the blue eyes, in the red dress...

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Tbc

**A/N: Well, what do ya think? **


	2. What dreams are made of

**A/N: First of all I wanna thank those who reviewed so far! Well, it took me a li'l longer than I thought but here's chap 2, this time from Peyton and Mac's POV...**

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You tear me into pieces

_2. What dreams are made of_

As Peyton stepped out onto the street she took several deep breaths, inhaling the fresh, cool air. A moment later a cheerful smile crossed her face as she took a quick glance on the display of her cell phone, checking the time.

She stopped a cab and after telling the driver the address leant back, still smiling.

When she had arrived at her destination she relaxed, looking forward to enjoying the rest of her free weekend and hurried to enter the building.

Just as she had reached the front-door of the apartment and went to unlock it she felt a pair of strong arms sneak around her slender waist. As the person brushed her hair over her left shoulder, giving her a soft kiss onto the side of her neck, Peyton closed her eyes for a moment.

Turning toward her lover she couldn't help but smile, getting immediately lost in his eyes. A moment later he let go of her and they entered his apartment.

"You had fun?" Mac asked while taking of his jacket and shoes.

"Eh, yeah...But it would have been more fun if you had been there as well..."

Pulling her close again he couldn't help but smile amused.

"I seriously doubt that..." He gave her another tender kiss.

"Did you catch the guy who chopped up Laura Cassidy?" Peyton wanted to know after a moment of silence.

"Yes...But how do you know about that case?"

"I got my sources..." She replied an innocent expression on her face, trying hard to look serious.

"Oh, really? You got sources, huh?" Mac brushed a strand of hair out of her face and Peyton grinned, her eyes twinkling.

"Yep." She stated chuckling, before becoming serious again and explaining,

"Well, before I left yesterday I was a bit bored and helped Sid with the autopsy..."

They shared a smile and a few seconds later he kissed her. She placed her hands on the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to her.

When they broke away in need of oxygen, Peyton couldn't help but smile cheerfully as she noticed the happy expression on Mac's face.

She had noticed the change in him since they had started their relationship...And yeah, of course she hoped that it was her doing, but if there was something she knew about Mac Taylor it was that you could never be all too sure when it came down to what was going on behind those expressive blue eyes...

A little sigh escaped her mouth as her mind went back 9 weeks...

_Flashback :_

Peyton had been lost in her thoughts for quite a while now. As odd as the realization seemed to her - she was nervous, nervous about returning to the ME's Office, which was quite ridiculous, wasn't it?

It wasn't like she had just finished studying, she had already years of experience in the field, she knew all the procedures - after all, if she won't have an outstanding expertise she won't have been teaching at Columbia the past few years. But it was not exactly work itself that made her nervous it was the knowledge that things had changed during her years of absence - mainly staff wise. Sheldon, who had become one of her best friends during her years as ME, had by now started to work as CSI...

In fact most people she had worked with before being offered a job at Columbia were gone, either they had started teaching, moved away or simply left the ME's Office. The only friend of hers who was still there was Sid, though she was sure that she would probably also work with Sheldon at times...

She let out a sigh, knowing that she had no reason to worry that much about all these things. After all, she would fit in well and the fact that she already knew several of the CSI's she would work with was going to make things much easier. Though that same fact was also another reason why she was so nervous.

Letting her eyes wander through the crowded bar she couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath as she caught sight of the main cause of her second thoughts about her decision - namely Mac Taylor...

For a moment she just stared at the man, who was sitting only a few feet away alone at a table, then she forced herself to tear her eyes away from him, returning her gaze down onto the counter. But apparently she hadn't turned away fast enough considering that she could feel his eyes burn on her back.

Not even a minute later she sighed inaudible as she heard his voice from right behind her.

"Hey Peyton..."

She took a deep breath, incapable of believing - yet alone understanding - how his voice was still able to send waves of electricity rushing through her veins after all those years...

Eventually she turned her head to look at him, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Mac...It's been quite a while..."

He smiled for a few seconds before his face became serious again, remaining silent for the time being and took a seat next to her.

"So, how are you?" She looked concerned at him, knowing full well about what had happened to Detective Flack and the fact that they were good friends.

"I've already felt better - but also worse." He shrugged, not willing to reveal anything else,

"How about you? Rumor has it that you're returning to the ME's Office..."

"You heard about it?" Peyton asked even though she wasn't all that surprised, after all he was in charge of the lab.

"Yeah..." He smiled at her.

_Short after midnight :_

After they had left the bar Mac lifted his right hand to her face, caressing softly her cheek. Peyton closed her eyes for a moment, surprised by the fact that this feather-like touch of his fingertips against her skin was already enough to set her entire body on fire.

As she opened her eyes again she noticed the smile on his face and she couldn't help but smile back, even though she knew that she was treading on very thin ice. She knew the look in his eyes, knew that he was going to kiss her any moment and felt torn about it...

Peyton knew that the moment he would kiss her she would fall for him even harder and faster and that when he left her again it would break every inch of her being into tiny pieces. Even though it had already been years now she still remembered how much it had hurt when he had told her that he couldn't be with her anymore, because he had fallen in love with another woman...

But before she was able to speak any of her doubts aloud Mac leaned in, kissing her tenderly.

_End flashback _

Peyton couldn't help but sigh softly. It had surprised her somehow that Mac had wanted to give it actually a try, not that she was complaining, but...After that night she had thought it had been just a meaningless one-night-stand to him, therefore it had taken her by complete surprise when he had shown up at her place a few days later. On the other hand she could have known that it just wasn't like him to have meaningless sex, after all, nobody could change that much - no matter how much time had passed.

After some more time she shook slowly her head realizing that all of that didn't really matter anymore considering that over-analysing the entire situation would only make her think about the past and that would probably ruin everything...

"You're okay?" Mac asked softly, interrupting her train of thought.

"Yeah...I was just thinking 'bout something." Peyton replied and kissed him passionate.

A moment later she removed her arms from his neck and started to unbutton his shirt. She felt him smile against her lips for a short while, before he started trailing kisses down her throat. For a few seconds she forgot about what she had wanted to do, instead she simply enjoyed the sensations his soft kisses evoked in her.

When he had reached her left collar bone Peyton couldn't help but draw in a deep breath and bite her lower lip.

As he kept teasing the skin just above her collar bone, almost right next to her neck, she chuckled and protested half-heartedly :

"Don't..."

"You're quite ticklish, aren't you?" Mac mumbled against her skin, not even thinking about already stopping to tease her like that.

"Not fair..." She stated just above a whisper a few seconds later, but he simply ignored her protest.

As she realized that he won't stop any time soon Peyton made a few steps back, seperating them just far enough so he couldn't keep kissing her.

For a moment he just gave her a slightly disappointed look, before he grinned and moved to close the space between them, leaning in to kiss her. But she pressed her hands against his chest, making him stop again, and shook slowly her head no.

"Not now, Mac." Peyton said, her eyes making clear that she meant it, so he surrendered.

After another few seconds she focused her attention back on undoing the buttons of his shirt. When she had accomplished her task and had removed his shirt Peyton returned her hands to the back of his neck, smiling happily at him before she closed the space between them and kissed him.

Mac wound his right hand in her hair and drew her even closer, deepening their kiss further as she started moving toward the bedroom. When she started lifting his t-shirt they broke the kiss for a moment so she could pull it over his head.

She let her hands roam over his bare chest and Mac started undoing the zipper of her dress with his left hand while caressing her cheek with the right. A moment later he brushed the straps of her dress from her shoulders, causing it to slide down her slender body.

_About two hours later :_

Mac couldn't help but smile as he watched Peyton sleep, while he himself couldn't find to sleep once more though he didn't mind it that much. He enjoyed to have the opportunity to watch her like that, it was somehow helping him to relax, calming his mind.

He was grateful for being able to try it again with Peyton. At that thought he wondered once more what his life would've been like if he hadn't met Claire and broken up with Peyton all those years ago...

A sigh escaped his mouth and he forced himself to stop thinking about all these things. After all, he couldn't change the past so it was pretty much a waste of time to think about all the "what-if's" of his life.

Only a few mintues later the ringing of his cell phone interrupted his train of thought and he hurried to answer the call, before it woke Peyton up. But when he had finally found it she was already sitting up, watching him silently while he talked on the phone.

After he hung up he looked at Peyton.

"You gotta get to work?"

They locked eyes and he nodded slowly, lost in thought once more.

"How about I make you some coffee while you get ready?" She asked while getting up.

Mac pulled her into an embrace for a moment, giving her a soft kiss before smiling and replying :

"That would be great..."

Peyton returned the smile and went to the kitchen while he got ready for work.

As he entered the kitchen she was already sipping on a cup of coffee and Mac gave her a questioning glance.

"You should get some more sleep, after all, you have the day off."

"I'm not all that tired anyways...And in case I get tired I can still get some more sleep."

Mac nodded and after a moment he stated :

"I was thinking..." He paused to drink some of his own coffee.

"Bout what?"

"Well, how about I come over tonight and make you dinner?"

"Sounds incredibly tempting..."

He smiled at her, then he emptied his cup and gave her another kiss before he left.

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Tbc

**A/N: Thanks for reading hope you liked the update! Please take the time to review!**


	3. A night of surprise

**A/N: Here's another update for you guys...IMPORTANT: I just recently re-watched the first eppy of season 3 and noticed for the first time that Flack calls Peyton by her first name when she arrives, but as you know in this story he meets her for the first time at that crime scene (seeing her at the nightclub doesn't count as 'meeting'), so, to make it short, in my story he only knew her name and being such the outgoing guy he is (at least he is very outgoing in my opinion) he uses her first name without further thinking...**

**Now without any further ado...**

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**You tear me into pieces**

_3. A night of surprise_

When Flack got up he was relieved that he won't have to get to work until the evening. He had barely slept and when he had finally fallen asleep his dreams had been filled with the mysterious woman he had seen at the nightclub the past night.

After a moment he let out a heavy sigh and decided to get outside for a run to get his head free. As he left his apartment a small smile appeared on his face, after all, the weather was great and he would finally get fully back to work...

He was barely aware of his surroundings as he ran at a steady pace through the Central Park. But after a while he stopped dead in his tracks as a young brunette woman passed him by.

_'Wasn't that..." _He thought as he turned around, but she was gone. Flack sighed and shook his head.

This was ridiculous, after all, how high were the chances that he would meet **her **again, let alone when he was on a run? Almost none considering how many people lived in this city.

He took a deep breath and started running again, trying to focus his attention on something else, anything but the woman from the nightclub.

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As Peyton woke up again she couldn't help but smile. After Mac had left she had read for a while one of her favorite books before returning to bed to get some more sleep. Heading to the kitchen she was starting making plans for the day.

God, she couldn't wait for the evening - the thought of Mac making dinner for her was filling her with anticipation. But it was going to still take quite a while before he would be done working and until then she would have to distract herself...

While drinking some more coffee and eating breakfast she stared absentmindedly out of the window. Emptying her cup she came to the conclusion that she could go on a run and head to her own place afterwards, instead of just taking a cab home.

As she got dressed in a pink tank top and grey sweat-shorts she smiled happily, she loved this time of year...It was still sunny and hot during the days, yet the nights were already sortta chilly - in her opinion this was just the most perfect combination.

After pulling her hair back into a pony-tail she looked into the mirror checking her appearance, giving her reflection a thoughtful glance before smiling brightly.

On her way out Peyton grabbed her iPod and double-checked that she really had her keys and cell phone, after all, nothing would be more embarassing than needing to call Mac because she left her keys in his apartment and had no idea where she could find the spare-key.

Stepping out on the pavement she turned on her iPod and started running into the direction of the park.

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When Flack returned home he decided to take a quick shower before even thinking about what he should do until he had to get to work.

One thing was for sure - he needed some major distraction to keep himself from thinking about **her **all over again.

Taking a seat on the couch and starting his favorite movie he took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on the movie. But only a few minutes later he sighed frustrated as his mind drifted off to the past night.

Being unable to sit still for any longer he stopped the movie and turned the TV off, before getting up and deciding to get his laundry done, considering that he couldn't really focus anyways.

For Christ's sake he hadn't even talked with her, so why the hell was she captivating his mind like that? Right she was extremely beautiful...

Flack couldn't help but chuckle, now if that wasn't the biggest understatement he had ever made, even saying that she was goddamn gorgeous wasn't really getting close to it. For a moment he was shaking his head in disbelief, while throwing his clothes in the washing-machine, after all, he would probably never see her again, never get the chance to even ask for her name...

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Peyton closed her eyes for a while, simply enjoying the warmth of the water running over her skin. That little run had done her well, she was full of energy and couldn't wait to get some stuff around her apartment done.

When she walked into the living-room a half hour later she wondered for a moment what to do first, before settling for getting first her laundry done and cleaning the dishes afterwards. She took her iPod and turned it on while heading to her bedroom to change the sheets.

As her mind drifted back to Mac she smiled happily. God, she couldn't wait for the evening, being all excited like she was a li'l girl all over again, waiting for the morning of Christmas.

After getting the washing-machine ready she took a quick glance at her watch and let out a heavy sigh as she realized that it was only short after one o'clock. She hated waiting - her impatience was one of her worst traits, though when it came down to Mac she had learned to be patient nonetheless.

Entering the kitchen she came to the conclusion that she should take the time to clean the dishes herself instead of using the dish-washer, knowing that busying herself like that was the best way to distract her mind a bit from Mac.

_Later that day, half-past eight :_

Hearing the front-door of her apartment opening, Peyton forced herself to stay where she was and remain calm. When Mac walked up to her she couldn't keep herself from smiling any longer.

Her smile even widened as he leaned down and kissed her softly. She paused the movie she had been watching and gave him a questioning glance.

"So, what did you plan for dinner?"

"That's gonna be a surprise." Mac replied and chuckled seeing her pouting her lips.

After a moment she smiled up at him and shrugged.

"Fine...Then surprise me..." She paused for a moment and gave him a serious glance,

"Just be aware of the fact that I'm starving."

"I'll keep that in mind." He turned and headed to the kitchen.

Taking a look around she came to the realization that her apartment hadn't been this clean ever since she had moved in - and that even though she was extremely orderly in the first place. After she had finished cleaning the dishes Peyton had taken the time to vacuum and dust the entire place and cleaned the bathroom and every single window until they were all shiny.

Sighing once more she pressed the play button on the remote of the DVD-player and focused her attention back onto the movie.

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Sitting down at his desk Flack took a deep breath. After fighting for several hours against his thoughts about his new obsession he had decided to head to the station early and get some of the paperwork done that he had worked on while he had been stuck at his desk those past two weeks.

Furthermore getting there this early gave him the opportunity to catch up with some of his colleagues he hadn't seen since returning to work.

When he had finished another file and looked up he couldn't help but grin as he saw a damn upset Jess Angell storm into the room followed by another two officers who were leading a handcuffed guy into the direction of the interrogation-rooms.

"And make sure to cuff him on the chair!" She yelled as she stopped at her desk, shooting a death-glare at the three men.

After they had disappeared in one of the interrogation-rooms Flack gave her a curious glance.

"What happened?"

Angell looked at him for a moment, forcing a smile on her lips, eventually she took a deep breath and replied :

"Well, this guy might know where we'll find our main suspect. When we went to question him he of course tried to run. I followed him and ruined my new boots in the process - and when I had finally managed to get close enough to arrest him this scumbag tried to push me from the roof of the goddamn warehouse."

"Why on earth do you wear new shoes during work in the first place?" Flack wanted to know, trying hard not to grin.

Angell just stared at him for a moment, her hands clenching into fists and he could tell that it was taking her all her willpower to remain calm. Her lips were moving but he couln't make out what she was saying.

"Jess? What are you doing?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Taking another deep, steadying breath to calm herself down she stated :

"I'm counting..." She sighed, and glared at him for a moment when she saw him grin,

"I'm wearing new ones because I can't keep wearing my old shoes forever..." She paused and her eyes softened,

"What are you already doing here anyways?"

"I was bored...And furthermore there was still some paperwork I had to get done."

Angell nodded slowly then she turned around while saying :

"Well, I gotta go..."

"OK." He mumbled and couldn't help but pity that poor guy in the interrogation-room, knowing full well that Jess had quite a temper. She would of course stick to the handbook nonetheless, but if the guy had hoped to get a deal in return for his information on the suspect he was going to be disappointed.

Flack shook absentmindedly his head, taking once more mentally a note to never mess with Jess Angell.

_A few hours later :_

On his way to the crime scene Flack couldn't help but smile in anticipation. Someone had been murdered on the Brooklyn Bridge, and he hoped that it would be an interesting case...

For a moment he felt bad for that, after all, someone had died, but after the past eleven weeks he was simply damn eager to get back in the field.

When he arrived he breathed in the cool air surrounding him and a smile appeared on his face. Maybe this case was exactly what he needed to distract himself from **her **and the daydreams he was having ever since he had gotten up that morning.

While talking with three of the techs he tried to empty his mind, forgetting everything that wasn't related to the current case. Hearing someone approach he turned and seeing that it was Stella he ended his conversation, knowing that it was time to focus.

"Impressing your fans with your battle wounds?" Stella asked after they started heading over to the body.

"They were concerned about my recovery. I was just putting them at ease." Flack replied, trying to take it as what it was - a attempt to tease him, after all, he knew that Stella didn't mean to upset him.

As they had reached the body Lindsay looked up and grinned at him before wanting to know :

"So, Flack, how many numbers did you get?"

"I don't like where you're going with this, Monroe." He stated and meant every word, he was sure as hell not in the mood for being teased by people on his first day back in the field.

"How many?"

Why couldn't they leave him alone?

"Three." Flack mumbled, trying hard not to show how annoyed he was.

"Everybody loves a hero." Stella said and smiled.

He frowned for a moment. God, as if he cared that much about getting the numbers of some random women. There was in fact only one number he wanted at the moment, but unfortunately he didn't even know the woman's name. Flack couldn't help but sigh frustrated, hadn't he decided to stop thinking about **her** for at least the time he was working on this case?

And if things weren't already bad enough he was gonna need to deal with a new ME on his first case back in the field. All he knew was that her name was Peyton Driscoll, and that she had recently returned to the ME's Office after teaching for several years at Columbia...

Seeing Mac arrive he sighed another time and headed over to him. At least he knew that Mac would focus on the case instead of making some stupid comment. Filling his friend in on what they knew so far Flack started feeling better, glad for the distraction.

Hearing someone approach he stated, taking a wild guess :

"Here comes our ME." He paused for a moment,

"Hey Peyton." The two words left his mouth before he could consider that it was not really appropiate to call her even though he didn't know her by her first name.

But when he looked at her that concern vanished into thin air, he couldn't help but draw in a deep breath as he saw her face, suddenly feeling like he was about having a heart attack. For Christ's sake, was he now already seeing things? Was it really **her** - or was he daydreaming again?

He could only hope that his thoughts didn't show on his face. God, he couldn't believe this...How high had been the chances that he would see the woman from the nightclub ever again? - Almost none. And now she was standing almost next to him, having turned out to be the new ME...

_Tbc_

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**A/N: I dunno how long it will take me to finish the next chap, but I will try to get it done fast! Please take the time to REVIEW and let me know what you think what you liked - or didn't like...**


	4. Dinner with Samantha

**A/N: Here's a quick little update! I know it's short but I hope you'll like it nonetheless!**

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You tear me into pieces

_4. Dinner with Samantha_

While waiting for their food Flack got once again lost in his thoughts. It had certainly been a crazy week...He still couldn't believe that the woman who had captivated his mind from the moment he had first seen her at the nigtclub was Peyton.

"You still wondering who that woman was?" Samantha interrupted his thoughts after a while.

"What?" Flack asked confused.

"That woman from the club...You're still wondering who she is?"

"Eh, actually I know now who she is..." He answered.

"Really? So, who is the mysterious woman that stole your heart?" Samantha wanted to know, a teasing smile on her lips, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

Flack just frowned, refusing to tell his sister what she wanted to know to avoid having to hear whatever "funny" comment she would make - he knew she would make a joke out of it and he certainly wasn't in the mood for that.

"Oh, come one, Donnie...Who is she?" Samantha put on her most innocent face.

"Don't call me Donnie." Flack stated, trying to ignore his sister's facial expression. God, how much he hated it when she was doing this - her lips pouted, head slightly tilted to the right, completed by a kicked-puppy-dog look in her eyes.

"Pleeeeeeeeease..."

Flack rolled his eyes.

"No stupid comments?"

"If you tell me who she is, yeah - no comments, jokes or else..." Samantha grinned at him, knowing that she had won.

In that moment a waitress came to their table and placed a plate in front of each of them before leaving again.

A moment later Flack sighed and said :

"Well, she happens to be the new ME..."

"You already asked her for date?" Samantha gave him a questioning glance, and he could tell that she meant it as a serious question and wasn't just trying to tease him.

"No..." Seeing the look she gave him he added,

"After all, we work together..."

"So what? I mean, you want to go out with her, don't ya?"

Flack chose not to answer that question and focused instead on his food. God, of course he wanted to be with her, but he barely knew Peyton for a week and it would be all kinds of weird if he asked her for a date - won't it? And furthermore maybe she was actually seeing someone...

"Don? Are you even listening to what I was saying?" His sister brought his mind back to the here and now.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

Samantha sighed and shook slowly her head.

"You should really simply ask her out - after all, the worst thing that can happen is that she turns you down, right?"

Flack frowned and replied :

"Yeah, and things would get damn awkward at work."

"But at least you would know if you have a reason to hope - or not."

Flack couldn't help but sigh heavily. He wished it was that easy, that he could simply walk up to Peyton and ask if she'd like to have dinner with him, or to grab a drink. However, the truth was - it was by far not that easy...

He just couldn't ask a colleague he barely knew for a date! That was simply completely inappropiate and furthermore he basically didn't know anything about Peyton, so if he didn't want to make a fool of himself he had to wait...

However, the major problem with the entire waiting was that he had no idea of how much longer he could take this. He couldn't remember to ever have felt drawn to a woman they way he felt drawn to Peyton.

She was basically the only thing he was able to think about. Beside the murder on the Brooklyn Bridge they had worked together on two more cases and each time he had seen her he had been incapable of focusing on anything but her. He couldn't sleep without dreaming about her and when he was awake he thought almost nonstop about her.

_Later that evening :_

Entering his apartment Flack let out an exhausted sigh. Spending time with Samantha had been nice, but no matter how much she had tried - she hadn't been able to really distract him from Peyton and work, and simply everything...

What made the situation even worse was that he was goddamn tired and knew nonetheless that he won't be able to get more than an hour or two of sleep - even though he could really use the sleep.

As he headed for the bathroom to change clothes he prayed that he would be called in on a case and got saved from another night of lying awake without any distraction from his troubles.

After all, it were not only the thoughts about Peyton that kept him awake - it was also the entire near-death experience a few months ago that occupied his mind way too much as that he could get some real rest.

Walking into his bedroom, now wearing a pair of navy sweat-pants and a white t-shirt, Flack couldn't help but sigh again. God, how much he yearned for a night of blissful, completely peaceful and dreamless sleep...

Lying down on his bed he tried to relax, tried to get simply everything out of his head and hoped that maybe he would finally get some rest.

However, only a half hour later Flack let out a sound of frustration and started cursing. What had he done to deserve all these sleepless nights?

Getting up again he first headed to the kitchen to get some water, before walking into the living-room and sitting down on his couch. After a moment of thinking he turned on the TV.

**A/N: I'll try to update asap but I got a lot of stuff to do at the moment (studying, other stories, etc). But the next chapter will probably be (much) longer. Anyways, please do me a favor and REVIEW!**

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Tbc


	5. Confusion

**A/N: Okay, I know it took AGES but I FINALLY got this new chapter done...**

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You tear me into pieces

_5. Confusion_

Flack frowned as he entered the break-room at the crime lab. What was he once again doing there? He couldn't even remember how he had gotten there in the first place, but probably his mind was simply too busy with his thoughts about Peyton, and contemplating whether he should ask her to go out with him, or not, as that he was paying that much attention to his surroundings or actions.

And thinking 'bout Peyton a happy smile appeared on his face as he noticed her sitting at the table, lost in whatever file she was reading.

"Hey Peyton." He stated walking further into the room, causing her to look up and smile at him.

"Hey yourself..." She replied, focusing her attention entirely on him,

"Well, to be honest I was just about to call ya..."

Flack couldn't help but raise an eye-brow in surprise.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh..." She paused for a moment, blushing slightly, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was about to say.

When she didn't continue on her own Flack smirked at her and asked :

"So, why did you want to call me?"

"Eh...Well..."

Flack tried hard not to grin, though the way she looked at him and simply everything about her was so adorable that it was a losing a battle to keep his smile from widening.

Peyton cleared her throat and tried once more, embarrassment clearly written on her face :

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to grab a drink with me..."

For a moment he just stared at her, his brain trying hard to process her words, then he forced himself to speak up :

"What did you say?"

Peyton looked away and mumbled in response :

"Never mind..."

"Did you ask me to have drinks with you?"

After a moment of hesitation she looked back at him, biting her lower lip, and nodded slightly.

"Well, to be honest I'd really like that..." Flack smiled at her.

"You do?"

"Yeah..." He assured, seeing her smile cheerfully.

_That evening, at a nightclub :_

As Flack saw Peyton approaching he couldn't help but stare at her. She looked amazing, even more amazing than that night he had first seen her. When she had reached him he saw her grin, apparently amused by the fact that he couldn't take his eyes of her.

"Hey..." She stated just loud enough that he was able to hear it despite the music.

Flack just smiled, unable to form any words, let alone a complete sentence and even if he could he didn't trust his voice enough to speak.

"You're okay?" Peyton asked after a while.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to finally say something :

"Eh, yeah...It's just..." He trailed off at that point, not certain if he should continue.

Damn, since when was he having trouble conversing with women or flirting for that matter? For Christ's sake this had been Peyton's idea, right? So why was he so nervous - after all, she probably won't have asked him to have drinks with her if she didn't like him, though the question was of course to which extent she liked him...

"Just what?" Peyton gave him a genuine smile, her eyes sparkling.

"It's just that you look amazing, that's all..." He admitted, a sly grin on his face.

Hearing that she chuckled and blushed slightly, before mumbling :

"Thanks...You know, you don't look too bad yourself..."

_At Flack's apartment :_

Slamming the door shut he pushed Peyton against it kissing her hungrily. His mind was still trying to figure out how they had gotten to his apartment, but it didn't really matter, now did it?

He felt her drawing his face closer, deepening their kiss and it was at that point that his mind chose to simply take a break. Though he didn't care about that at the moment.

God, he had fantasized about this, about her already so many times that he had lost track by now.

Giving her a kiss onto the side of her neck he let his fingers slide through her hair. A moment later they headed to his bedroom while starting to undress each other.

Just as they had reached his bed his cell phone started ringing somewhere far in the distance. Deciding to simply ignore the annoying sound he grinned as Peyton pulled him down onto the bed.

However, it didn't take long 'til he realized that his stupid cell phone wasn't willing to stop ringing, instead he got aware of the fact that the ringing was starting to get louder and louder.

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Flack couldn't help but let out a frustrated groan as he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his living-room. Just another naughty dream - why wasn't he surprised?

Releasing a heavy sigh he sat up and grabbed his cell phone from the coffee-table and answered the call.

Ending the conversation he sighed once more and turned off the TV before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

As the hot water ran over his body he closed his eyes for a moment. Damn, he should _**really**_ finally do something about his feelings for Peyton. It just couldn't go on like this! This entire situation was messing simply way too much with his mind by now.

Well, he should better hurry up and save trying to sort his thoughts out after the newest case was gonna be solved.

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Tbc

**_A/N: Hope it was worth the wait! Please take the time to review!_**


	6. I need to know

_**A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long with the new chapter, but like I already mentioned numerous times before in other recent updates - I was kinda busy with some other stories and furthermore I had also a major writer's block recently.**_

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**You tear me into pieces**

_6. I need to know_

Getting out of his car Flack let out a heavy sigh and headed to the actual crime scene. Taking a look at the body he sighed once more. Despite the fact that he felt sorry for the victim he was somehow damn glad for the distraction from his thoughts - from that naughty li'l dream he had had before being called in on this case.

Seeing Stella and Danny approach he sighed a third time and forced himself to focus on work. When they had reached him he told them what he knew so far about the vic :

"Vic's name's Laura Diaz, 37 years old, she was divorced, no children. One of her neighbors complained about the noise. They sent someone over, when nobody opened they hit the door and found her like this."

They nodded simultaneously and got started with photographing the scene. Just as he decided to go and talk with some of the neighbors he heard someone else approach and when he turned around he saw that it was Peyton.

The sight of her was already enough for his mind to reproduce the images of his dream, making it completely impossible for him to focus. And the smile she was giving him as she passed him on her way to the body made it only that much worse.

Sighing in frustration he forced himself to leave and stop thinking about _**her**_.

_Later that day at the lab :_

As he headed into the break-room Flack couldn't help but sigh in frustration. He hated to admit it, but he was simply incapable of focusing on his work for more than a few seconds - minutes when he was lucky - his mind returning over and over again to his problems, the dream he had had the passed night...

"You're okay, Flack?" Stella's voice disrupted his train of thought.

Turning to look at the CSI he sighed again and replied :

"Eh, yeah...I just didn't get much sleep recently." He let his shoulders hang and asked,

"So, why did you want me to come here?"

"Well, first of all because I was able to identify the murder-weapon..." She started handing him a file, after he had taken it from her she added,

"And I got Peyton's autopsy-report..." With that she gave him the second file she had been holding.

Opening the files and skimming through the pages he forced his mind to stay focused. However, that was way easier said than done. Coming to the conclusion that his messed up mind had understood the most important stuff - despite his current inability to focus - he eventually put the two files down.

As Flack remained quiet after putting the files down, and she noticed the distant look on his face Stella couldn't help but frown. That frown even deepened at the realization that he had done that quite a lot recently - getting entirely lost in his thoughts, a blank stare upon his face.

After another moment of consideration she took a deep breath and inquired :

"Hey Flack, what's the matter with you lately?"

At that Flack looked back at the CSI and gave her a questioning glance, causing Stella to release a heavy sigh.

"You keep getting lost in your thoughts all the time, you seem unusually distracted from work..." She pointed out when he didn't say anything.

Now it was Flack's turn to sigh, then he let his shoulders hang and told her :

"Like I already told ya - I have trouble sleeping recently that's all..." He chose not to mention the actual reason for his recently developed insomnia.

"Well, considering that you almost died and the fact that you just started working again that's probably not all that surprising. You should probably not worry 'bout it." Stella pointed out after a moment of silence.

Hearing that Flack simply nodded slightly and mumbled :

"You're probably right with that..."

They both remained quiet for some time, Flack getting once more lost deeply in thought. After a while of silent contemplating he took a deep breath and broke eventually the silence, trying to make his voice sound as casual as possible :

"Hey Stella, can I ask you something?"

The CSI looked at him, one eyebrow raised and responded :

"Sure, what's the matter?"

"Well, you and Peyton are friends, right?"

"Eh, yeah...Why are you asking?" Stella inquired.

Flack shrugged slightly and stated :

"I was just wondering what you can tell me 'bout her, that's all..."

"Like what?" Stella wanted to know.

"I don't know, anything...Is she seeing someone, what are her hobbies?" He paused and shrugged again,

"I'd like to know the people I work with..."

Stella frowned and for a moment Flack got worried that she might be aware of the _**real **_reason behind his question. Eventually the CSI shrugged herself and told him :

"Well, to answer your two concrete questions - I don't know if she's seeing someone. And concerning her hobbies, I'm not sure - after all, she just returned from teaching at Columbia more recently and I practically didn't see her until then." Stella paused for a moment then she pointed out,

"But if you really wanna know, why don't you simply ask her yourself?"

Flack remained quiet for a short moment then he nodded slightly and said :

"Point taken..." Before he was able to say anything else is cell phone rang and he quickly answered the call.

When he had hung up a few minutes later he told Stella :

"Well, I gotta go..." Seeing her nod Flack straightened up and already headed out of the break-room.

If he was honest with himself he had to admit that he was glad for having an excuse to leave before Stella could ask him any questions about why he had asked her about Peyton...And beside that it was certainly better for him to focus his attention on his work right now instead of giving himself the opportunity to think too deeply about anything related to his personal life.

_Tbc_

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_**A/N: I know they end was kinda odd, but I hope you liked the update nonetheless! Please take the time to review!**_


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